Hudson Walk project to revive stalled construction site
An architects sketch of the new concept for the Radius project, now dubbed Hudson Walk by the site's new owner. Image © by Merrick Architecture.
What began as an ambitious plan for a 13-storey office building tethered to a 17-storey residential tower wound up as a giant pit spanning almost an entire block of downtown Victoria. Waywell Development’s plans for Radius, proposed as one of the region’s largest mixed-use projects, went by the wayside after a financial hiccup left proponents without sufficient funds to proceed.
The giant pit between Blanshard, Caledonia and Herald streets has sat untouched since 2008, although that could soon change if plans by the site’s new owner come to fruition.
Vancouver-based development firm Townline, currently renovating the historic Hudson’s Bay Department Store and easing into construction of a 12-storey residential tower a few steps to the east, expects a more promising future for the Radius site with decreased density and buildings reaching approximately 7-storeys in height. Townline’s vision is dubbed Hudson Walk, a name that affirms the relation between Townline’s Hudson project immediately to the south.
Robert Randall of the Downtown Victoria Residents’ Association is excited to see renewed interest at the Radius site. However, while he has yet to fully review the new plans, he would like to ensure the residential density has not been drastically reduced.
“This is a different massing than what we initially were presented with and we want to make sure that the amount of residential units remains close to the original proposal. This area of downtown would particularly benefit from a large influx of residential units,” Randall said.
While details of the new project are still scarce, the sense of progress at the prominent site is a welcome development.
To view the official Hudson Walk website, click here. To discuss Hudson Walk on the VibrantVictoria.ca discussion forum, click here.
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Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's [Downtown Victoria] Hudson Walk | Mixed-use | Zoned for 13-storey office & 17-storey residential thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
G-Man
Oct 28, 2011 at 7:32 amShe is speaking about the contextual fit with her view of what Victoria should look like which if I remember correctly is the 18th arrondisement in Paris and this development if you have seen the pic looks like that.
I do like the density that this project seems to portray but I will not get excited until I start to see more action at the Hudson site.
Mike K.
Oct 28, 2011 at 8:11 amThere were no problems selling out the original 17-storey Radius residential tower, and both Concert and Bayview are currently working on a slightly smaller and a much larger tower, respectively.
Where Radius faltered was not product, but inexperience. That being said, there is no reason why this project couldn't have encompassed a residential tower on one end and a mixed-use office/residential tower on the other.
Dylan Leblanc
Oct 28, 2011 at 10:19 amBut isn't it said that the developers of Radius were selling condos for less than the units could actually be built for? And so if the prices were adjusted upwards to properly reflect the actual costs of construction then I wonder just how marketable they would have been at the higher price.
Mike K.
Oct 28, 2011 at 11:17 amWhen the condos were initially priced they were in-keeping with the project budget, but the combination of incredibly fast paced sales and what seemed like monthly construction cost increases (labour together with materials) lead to the situation of having to re-price units after they had been sold, or something to that effect. That, coupled with the upfront cost of digging the massive hole and reliance on a risky major tenant derailed the whole thing completely.
Radius was well received at the time and buyers spoke with their wallets. It's just too bad that the development team got too ahead of itself.
Nparker
Oct 30, 2011 at 2:13 pmQuote: Radius is probably the greatest thing that was never built in Victoria.
Which is why I hate to see such a lame-ass proposal for this site now.
